Ethan Hawke: drugs deal with anxiety, they don't give you talent

The actor discusses the effect of addiction on artistry while promoting his new Chet Baker biopic at the Toronto film festival

Ethan Hawke talked about the effect of drugs and alcohol on acting while promoting his lead role in a Chet Baker biopic at the Toronto film festival.

The Oscar-nominated star of Training Day spoke about addiction, given the key role it plays in his new drama Born to Be Blue, which premieres at the festival.

“I had a friend who directed Elizabeth Taylor and she had this theory that she was better when she was drunk,” he said. “She wasn’t, it’s just that she was less nervous. She enjoyed it more drunk. Well, guess what? So would I. 

He rejected the claim that drugs have aided Chet Baker and other musicians to further their art. “I don’t believe that the drugs helped Chet Baker play,” he said. “I believe that he believed it. There’s another path to get there. Dizzy Gillespie has a family man and had a huge career and played without any drugs.”

Hawke went on to explain that the entertainment industry often means that struggles with self-belief can turn to addiction.

“The life of people in the arts means you’re at war with your anxiety,” he said. “Amy Winehouse, Chet Baker, Kurt Cobain, they’re self-medicating and the talent is in the essence of them. The drugs are in the way. They think that the drugs unlock the talent but the drugs just deal with the anxiety. They have nothing to do with the talent.”

Born to be Blue is an alternative take on the life of the famous jazz musician, adding fictionalised elements to the story of his life. It’s low budget and Hawke addressed the variety in his career of late which sees him making small titles, such as Boyhood, and genre films like The Purge.

“One, it’s extremely practical,” he said. “If all you do is small indie movies then you go broke so that’s a drag. The other is that I actually have a real love for movies and it isn’t limited to one kind of movie. I’m really proud of Sinister and whether you like the movie or not, I gave something personal of me in the same way that I tried to do with Boyhood.”